ELECTRONIC COPY

GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA

MALAYSIA DAM SAFETY

MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

(MyDAMS)

2017
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MALAYSIA DAM SAFETY

MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES
(MyDAMS)

2017

DISCLAIMER

“Government of Malaysia and Members of the Working Group, Steering

Committee and the Jawatankuasa Khas Keselamatan Empangan which
developed these Guidelines, do not accept responsibility for the consequences
of any action taken or omitted to be taken by any person, whether a
purchaser of this publication or not, as a consequence of anything contained
in or omitted from this publication. No persons should act on the basis of
anything contained in this publication without taking appropriate
professional advice in relation to the particular circumstances”

Copyright 2017 The Government of Malaysia. All rights reserved. This

publication is copyright and may not be resold or reproduced in any manner
without the prior consent of the Government of Malaysia.
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Hakcipta

Kerajaan Malaysia

Hakcipta terpelihara. Tiada bahagian daripada terbitan ini boleh diterbit semula, disimpan
untuk pengeluaran atau ditukarkan ke dalam sebarang bentuk atau dengan sebarang alat
juga pun, sama ada dengan cara elektronik, gambar serta rakaman dan sebagainya tanpa
kebenaran bertulis daripada penerbit terlebih dahulu.

Diterbitkan oleh:

Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran Malaysia

Jalan Sultan Salahuddin, 50626 Kuala Lumpur

ISBN 978-983-41328-5-9
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FOREWORD

The Cabinet on 29th August 2012 had given directive to KeTTHA in collaboration with
Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) to discuss issues pertaining dam
safety management practices in Malaysia. On 29th October to 9th November 2012, a special
lab session headed by PEMANDU had come to conclude and endorse the need to establish
a Special Committee to regulate all dam safety management practices and to set up a Dam
Technical Centre (DTC).

The Government of Malaysia via Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) under the
purview of Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) has appointed Angkasa
Consulting Services Sdn. Bhd. (ACS) to produce the Dam Safety Management Guidelines
and to draft the Dam Safety Management Act. Six meetings were held with the Dam Owners,
Operators, State and Federal Agencies.

Malaysia Dam Safety Management Guidelines (MyDAMS), is a national guidelines aimed to

serve as a source of information and to provide guidance pertaining to the latest dam safety
best management practices (BMPs) for entities involve in local dam industry. MyDAMS, quite
extensive in its entirety so as to cover the whole life cycle of dams.

MyDAMS is developed through contributions from the Government and private sectors. This
is one of the many initiatives undertaken by the Government to further enhance its services
parallel with ongoing transformations taking place in Government Department and private
sectors. On the other hand, the public expects that measures to protect safety will be in line
with best international practice.

It may be relatively difficult for engineers and professionals to get use of it for the first time. It
is highly recommended that MyDAMS will be reviewed when knowledge and practice have
developed to the point where an update is required.

Last but not least, there are many to name and congratulate individually for those involved in
preparing MyDAMS. Most of them are my fellow professionals who are well-respected within
their fields. I wish to record my sincere thanks and appreciation to all of them and I am
confident that their contributions will be truly appreciated by the users in many years to
come.

Ir. Hj. Ab. Qahar bin Osman

Chairman of Steering Committee

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PREFACE

The Government of Malaysia intends to establish the Dam Safety Management Guidelines
for safety management of dams in Malaysia.

This Malaysia Dam Safety Management Guidelines (MyDAMS) has been prepared based on
the dam safety guidelines and technical bulletins published by International Commission on
Large Dams (ICOLD) and other internationally recognised references on dam engineering. It
outlines appropriate practices that should be considered during the investigation, design,
construction, commissioning, maintenance, operation, safety surveillance, safety review,
emergency preparedness, rehabilitation and the life cycle management of dams.

MyDAMS is applicable to all dams that are:

 10 meters or more in height with a storage capacity of more than 20,000 cubic meters or
 dams with storage capacity of 50,000 cubic meters or more and are higher than 5
meters.

However, this term are not intended to be applied to tailings dams, aquifer recharge dams
and check dams.

The absence of a proper best management practices on dam safety may increase the risk of
dam failures which cause loss of life, properties, economic and environmental damage.
MyDAMS is established with the purpose to ensure that the dam safety management in
Malaysia is in line with the international recognised practices.

MyDAMS outlines technical procedures required for dam safety management and the roles
and responsibilities of the key players involved. This includes the importance of a Dam
Owner's commitment to safety programs, risk management, and the provision of adequate
financial and human resources. Dam Owners are encouraged to view proper dam safety
management as a key element of their overall risk and asset management strategies. Dam
safety management should encompass throughout the life cycle of a dam from planning and
investigation to decommissioning of the dam.

MyDAMS is not intended as design standards or an instruction manual. Specialists

experienced in the design, construction and operation of dams are best qualified to judge the
suitability of MyDAMS for a particular purpose.

It is recommended that MyDAMS has to be revised as and when required.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MyDAMS have been deliberated by representatives of Dam Owners, Operators, government

agencies involved in dam matters and dam practitioners in Malaysia. This document would
not have been possible without their time, efforts and facilities towards the completion of
MyDAMS and their contributions are gratefully acknowledged. The Steering Committee and
Working Group are listed below.

Steering Committee:

Dato' Dr. Mohd Ali bin Mohamad Nor, Dato' Dr. Nadzri bin Yahya, Dato’ Hj. Suhaimi bin
Mamat, Dato' Sri Ir. Hj. Zulkefli bin Hassan, Dato' Dr. Ir. Hj. Md. Nasir bin Md. Noh, Ir. Hj. Ab.
Qahar Bin Osman, En. Roslan bin Sukimin, Ir. Hj. Syed Abdul Hamid bin Syed Shuib, Ir. Hj.
Ilias bin Mamat, Hj. Rehan bin Ahmad, Ir. Zakiyyah binti Muhammad, En. Mohd Hazri bin
Moh Khambali, En. Faizul Hafizi bin Omar, Ir. Hj. Mohd Yusof bin Ibrahim, Pn. Nur Sabrina
binti Ahmad Gholib, Dr. Ferdaus bin Ahmad, Ir. Hj. Jamil bin Shaari, Ir. Norizam binti Yusuf,
En. Suhaimi bin Hj. Mohd Zain, Hj. Sulaiman bin Kamisan, Hj. Mohd Khanil bin Taib, En.
Mohd Rashid bin Mohd Radzi, En. Ahmad Zubir Sapian, En. Nor Zamri bin Sondor, Pn.
Norfaezah binti Shamsudin, En. Mohd Riduan bin Md Ali, En. Md. Badarudin bin Jamal, Hj.
Zainuddin bin Taib, En. Tan Chee Ming, En. Wan Zubir Wan Kassim, Pn. Rosina Daisy
Julius, Ir. Khor Chai Huat, En. Ramadas Karuppiah, Ir. Toh Chin Kok, Angkasa Consulting
Services Sdn. Bhd.

Working Group:

Ir. Hj. Syed Abdul Hamid bin Syed Shuib, Ir. Hj. Ilias bin Mamat, Ir. Ng Kok Seng, Hj. Rehan
bin Ahmad, Ir. Zakiyyah binti Muhammad, En. Roslan bin Sukimin, Pn. Rosilawati binti Misdi,
En. Mohd Hazri bin Moh Khambali, En. Faizul Hafizi bin Omar, En. Asmadi bin Bahuri, Ir. Hj.
Mohd Yusof bin Ibrahim, Ir. Muhammad Suhaimi bin Md Ali, Ir. Rosazlan bin Abu Seman,
En. Saiful Azhar bin Harun, En. Baharudin bin Ahmad, Hjh. Paridah Anun binti Tahir, En. Md.
Ezaire bin Md. Eusofe, En. Rosly bin Aman, Pn. Nurul' Ain binti Shafie, Pn. Nur Sabrina binti
Ahmad Gholib, Dr. Ferdaus bin Ahmad, Hj. Jamil bin Shaari, En. Azaman bin Mohd Ali, Ir.
Norizam binti Yusuf, Dato' Ir. Jayawant Vithal, En. Ahmad Roslan bin Bidin, En.
Balamurugan Nallamuthu, En. Kuruppanan Sellapan, En. Sharul Mizan bin Mohd Ayob, Ir.
Alan Lim Chong Beng, Hj. Meor Mohamed Haris bin Meor Hussein, Hj. Sulaiman bin
Kamisan, Hj. Mohd Khanil bin Taib, En. Mohd Rashid bin Mohd Radzi, En. Hamzah bin
Samat, Pn. Noor Aswani binti Mahmood, Ir. Hj. Razali bin Jarmin, En. Ahmad Zubir Sapian,
En. Nor Zamri bin Sondor, Pn. Norfaezah binti Shamsudin, En. Mohd Riduan bin Md Ali,

MALAYSIA DAM SAFETY MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES v

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En. Md. Badarudin bin Jamal, Pn. Nor Saleheen binti Abdul Razak, En. Muhammad Amar
Aizat bin Abdullah, Ir. Khairul Azmeel bin Mohd Sopery, Hj. Zainuddin bin Taib, En. Rosli bin
Mohd Sharif, En. Muhammad Hafiz bin Khazali, En. Muhammad Shawal bin Din, En. Badrul
Hisham bin Abdul Ghafar, Pn. Noraniza binti Md Saad, Hj. Che Kamkah bin Sulaiman, En.
Mohamad Shahhir bin Ismail, Dato' Hj. Zulkifli bin Mohamad, En. Hamidi bin Othman, En.
Khairul Alfian bin Roslan, En. Tan Chee Ming, En. Wan Zubir Wan Kassim, Pn. Rosina Daisy
Julius, En. Chiang Thin Thin, En. Zamani bin Zainol, En. Mohd Khuzairi bin Abd Aziz, En.
Shahrul Bazli bin Shahrudin, En. Abdul Razak Musa, En. Frankie Bujum, Jabatan Alam
Sekitar, Ir. Khor Chai Huat, En. Ramadas Karuppiah, Ir. Toh Chin Kok, Angkasa Consulting
Services Sdn. Bhd.

Exhibit A list all the organisation involved in development of MyDAMS.

Exhibit A:

Kementerian Kemudahan Awam Sarawak

Kementerian Pembangunan Infrastruktur Sabah

Kementerian Pertanian dan Industri Asas Tani (MOA)

Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar (NRE)

Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air (KeTTHA)

Jabatan Air Kelantan

Jabatan Air Negeri Sabah

Jabatan Air Terengganu

Jabatan Alam Sekitar

Jabatan Bekalan Air, KeTTHA

Jabatan Mineral dan Geosains Malaysia (JMG)

Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran, Malaysia

Lembaga Air Perak (LAP)

Lembaga Kemajuan Pertanian Muda (MADA)

Lembaga Sumber Air Negeri Kedah (LSANK)

Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS)

Badan Kawalselia Air Negeri Johor (BAKAJ)

Badan Kawalselia Air Negeri Melaka

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Badan Kawal Selia Air Pahang

Badan Kawal Selia Air Negeri Pulau Pinang

Badan Kawal Selia Air Negeri Sembilan

Pasukan Projek Penyaluran Air Mentah Pahang – Selangor (PPAMPS)

Perbadanan Putrajaya

Sarawak Energy Berhad

Sarawak Hidro Sdn Bhd

Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB)

Angkasa Consulting Services Sdn. Bhd.

Document History

Original 2017 Parent with Appendices (A-F)

MALAYSIA DAM SAFETY MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES vii

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ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS

AEP Annual Exceedance Probability

ALARP As Low As Reasonably Practicable
ANCOLD Australian National Committee on Large Dams
CDA Canadian Dam Association
CFRD Concrete Face Rockfill Dam
CIDB Construction Industry Development Board
DID Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Malaysia. Also abbreviated as ‘JPS’
DOC Designer Operating Criteria
EAP Emergency Action Plan
FERC the Unites States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency, US Department of Homeland
Security
FMA the Factories and Machinery Act 1967
FMEA Failure Modes and Effects Analysis
FSL Full Supply Level
ICODS Inter-departmental Committee on Dam Safety
ICOLD International Commission on Large Dams
IDF Inflow Design Flood
MCE Maximum Credible Earthquake
MNCOLD Malaysian National Committee on Large Dams
MyDAMS Malaysia Dam Safety Management Guidelines
NADMA National Disaster Management Agency
NPL Normal Pool Level
NZSOLD New Zealand Society on Large Dams
O&M Operation and Maintenance
OBE Operating Basis Earthquake
OSHA Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994
PAR Population at Risk
PLL Potential Loss of Life
PMF Probable Maximum Flood
PMP Probable Maximum Precipitation
RCC Roller Compacted Concrete
RTS Reservoir Triggered Seismicity
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
SEE Safety Evaluation Earthquake
USACE United States Army Corps of Engineer
USBR United States Bureau of Reclamation

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GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Abandonment of Dam: The dam is not to be used and adequate dam structures has been
removed or altered, hence making it unable to impound a storage, in present or future, and
constitutes no risk to the public and environment. It does not require any continual dam
safety actions such as operation, maintenance and surveillance.

Abutment: The undisturbed natural material part of the valley side or bank, excavated to
acceptable foundation surface, against which the dam is constructed. An artificial abutment
is sometimes constructed, as a concrete gravity section, where there is no suitable natural
abutment.

Acceptable Risk: A risk which, for the purpose of life or work, everyone who might be
impacted is prepared to accept assuming no changes of risk control mechanisms. Such a
risk is regarded as insignificant or adequately controlled. Action to further reduce such risk is
usually not required unless reasonably practicable measures are available at low cost in
terms of money, time and effort.

Active Fault: A fault, reasonably identified and located, known to have produced historical
earthquakes with epicentre nearby or showing evidence of movements, one or more times in
the last 10,000 years.

Active Storage: The volume of a reservoir that is available for its purposes (e.g. water
supply, irrigation, etc.). Active storage excludes flood surcharge. It is the reservoir capacity
less dead storages.

ALARP (As Low As Reasonably Practicable) Principle: Principle which states that risks,
lower than the limit of tolerability, are tolerable only if further risk reduction is impracticable,
or if its cost is grossly disproportionate (depending on risk level) to the benefit gained.

Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP): The probability of a specified magnitude of a

natural event being equalled or exceeded in any year.

Appurtenant Structures: All ancillary structures, components and equipment functionally

pertaining to the dam including, but not limited to, spillways, inlet and outlet works, water
conduits, tunnels, pipelines, penstocks, power stations and diversions.

Auxiliary Spillway: A secondary spillway designed to operate only when normal floods are
exceeded. Also referred to as Emergency Spillway.

MALAYSIA DAM SAFETY MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES ix